GWR 4073 Class 7029 Clun Castle
{{Short description|English steam locomotive}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:GWR 4073 Class 7029 Clun Castle}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2015}}
{{more citations needed|date=October 2017}}
{{Infobox locomotive
| name = GWR 7029 Clun Castle
| powertype = Steam
| image = Clun Castle 5 (37991871492).jpg
| alt =
| caption = Clun Castle in 2017
| designer = Charles Collett
| builder = BR Swindon Works
| ordernumber =
| serialnumber =
| buildmodel =
| builddate = May 1950
| whytetype = 4-6-0
| uicclass =
| gauge = {{track gauge|ussg}}
| leadingdiameter = {{convert|3|ft|2|in|m|3|abbr=on}}
| driverdiameter = {{convert|6|ft|8+1/2|in|m|3|abbr=on}}
| length = {{convert|65|ft|2|in|m|2|abbr=on}} over buffers
| width = {{convert|8|ft|11|in|m|3|abbr=on}}
| height = {{convert|13|ft|1|in|m|3|abbr=on}} (Cut back from {{convert|13|ft|4+1/2|in|m|3|abbr=on}})
| locoweight = {{long ton|79|17}}
{{convert|79|LT|17|lcwt|ST|disp=output only}} full
| tenderweight = {{long ton|47|6}}
{{convert|47|LT|6|lcwt|ST|disp=output only}} full
| fueltype = Coal
| fuelcap = {{long ton|6|0}}
{{convert|6|LT|0|lcwt|t ST|2}}
| watercap = {{convert|4000|impgal|abbr=on}}
| boiler = GWR Standard Number 8
| boilerpressure = {{convert|225|lbf/in2|MPa|2|abbr=on}}
| firearea = {{convert|29.36|sqft|m2|abbr=on}}
| tubearea = {{convert|1857.7|sqft|m2|abbr=on}} (Collett)
{{convert|1799.5|sqft|m2|abbr=on}} (Hawksworth)
| fireboxarea = {{convert|162.7|sqft|m2|abbr=on}} (Collett)
{{convert|163.5|sqft|m2|abbr=on}} (Hawksworth)
| tubesandflues =
| superheaterarea =
| cylindercount = Four (two inside, two outside)
| cylindersize = {{convert|16|x|26|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| valvegear = Inside cylinders: Walschaerts
Outside cylinders: derived from inside cylinders via rocking bars.
| valvetype = Piston valves
| tractiveeffort = {{convert|31625|lbf|kN|2|abbr=on|lk=on}}
| factorofadhesion =
| trainheating =
| locobrakes = Vacuum
| locobrakeforce =
| trainbrakes =
| safety =
| operator = Great Western Railway
British Railways
| powerclass = GWR: D
BR: 7P
| axleloadclass = GWR: Red
| fleetnumbers =
| withdrawndate = December 1965
| restoredate =
| currentowner = Tyseley Locomotive Works
| disposition = Operational, Mainline Certified
}}
GWR 4073 Class No. 7029 Clun Castle is a 4-6-0 steam locomotive built at Swindon Works in May 1950 to a design by Charles Collett for operation on the Western Region of British Railways. It was named after Clun Castle in Shropshire.
British Railways
Its first shed allocation was Newton Abbot. It had a double chimney and a four-row superheater fitted in October 1959. Its most famous moment came on 9 May 1964 on the Plymouth to Bristol leg of a special train marked Z48, which ran to mark the record set sixty years earlier by City of Truro. 7029 managed to reach 96 mph on the descent of Wellington Bank in Somerset. Preserved classmate 4079 Pendennis Castle, which worked the Paddington to Westbury leg of the tour before melting its firebars, has also been preserved. Its last shed allocation was at Gloucester in May 1965. It hauled the last official steam train out of Paddington to Banbury on 11 June 1965. It was officially withdrawn in December that year.{{cite web|url=http://brdatabase.info/locoqry.php?action=locodata&id=7029&type=S&loco=7029 |title=BRDatabase |publisher=Brdatabase.info |date= |accessdate=2022-08-04}}
| class="wikitable" | | ||
| +Shed allocations | ||
| Location | Shed code | From |
|---|---|---|
| Newton Abbot
| style="text-align: center;" | 83A | 31 May 1950 | |
| Plymouth Laira
| style="text-align: center;" | 83D | 29 December 1956 | |
| Newton Abbot
| style="text-align: center;" | 83A | 23 March 1957 | |
| Old Oak Common
| style="text-align: center;" | 81A | 2 July 1962 | |
| Gloucester Horton Road
| style="text-align: center;" | 85B | 5 October 1964 |
Preservation
Sold for scrap at £2,400 to Patrick Whitehouse in 1966, its ownership then passed to 7029 Clun Castle Ltd. In preservation, it has been based at Tyseley Locomotive Works, where it was integral in the founding and operation of Vintage Trains.
In 1967, carrying a Great Western livery, it hauled trains to mark the closure of the GWR route to Birkenhead, from King's Cross to Newcastle and over the Settle-Carlisle Line. In 1972, it joined in the "Return to Steam" tours. After a major overhaul, it emerged in British Railways livery in 1985. In 1986, it hauled the last train from the old Birmingham Moor Street station. In the mid 1980s, some of the restoration work was undertaken by a government funded Community Programme scheme, managed by Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council.
7029 returned to service in October 2017 at the Tyseley Open Weekend in BR Lined Green with the late crest on its tender, although fitted out with the necessary equipment the engine was not certified for mainline use. Clun Castle made its first moves on the mainline for 31 years in February 2019 when it went out on its light test runs, which included a trip to Stratford upon Avon.[http://www.uksteam.info/tours/t19/t0219p.htm 7029's light test runs] Its loaded test run was to follow before working its first mainline train since October 1988.[http://www.uksteam.info/tours/t19/t0221p.htm 7029's loaded test runs][http://www.uksteam.info/tours/t19/t0228a.htm 7029's debut railtour]
Preservation Photos
File:7029 Clun Castle(8258078241).jpg|7029 leaving Birmingham Snow Hill working "The Zulu" in Mar 1967.
File:7029 Clun Castle Tyseley '82 (19686476996).jpg|Clun Castle at Tyseley in 1982.
File:7029 Clun Castle Tyseley.jpg|On display at Tyseley Loco Works awaiting an overhaul in Jun 2008.
File:GWR 7029 Clun Castle Locomotive Lincoln Railway Station (3).jpg|7029 at Lincoln railway station on the 8 November 2022
File:GWR 7029 Clun Castle and 5051 Drysllwyn Castle on The Great Western Limited 150 (4).jpg|7029 at Plymouth working "The Great Western Limited" in July 1985.
Bibliography
- {{cite book|author=Cadge, Richard (general ed.)|title=Portrait of a record-breaker: the story of GWR No. 7029 "Clun Castle"|publisher= Birmingham Railway Museum|year=1985}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|GWR 4073 Class 7029 Clun Castle}}
- [http://www.greatwestern.org.uk/m_in_cas_castle7.htm The Great Western Archive - Castle class details, 7000 - 7037]
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYGkV3SIXLk 7029 Public Recommissioning at Tyseley in Oct 2017]
{{GWR Castle Class}}
Category:Railway locomotives introduced in 1950
Category:Standard-gauge steam locomotives of Great Britain